XMen Avatar: The Next Chapter
by bakstar1996
Summary: Rebecca's story continues with a new man coming into her life- Magneto. Plus, an engraged enemy wants revenge for her love's death and she will go to every resource in her power to make sure that retribution is given in the way of Rebecca's death.
1. Prologue

I walked through the CIA corridor, keeping my eyes locked onto the doors at the end of the hallway. Two guards stood in front of me as protection for the man of higher authority I was about to meet, but their stature would mean nothing if I got inside their minds, although they knew nothing of that. I just walked behind them, smirking and gripping the CD case in my hand.

We reached the end of the hallway and the guards opened the double doors. The large room was a posh office, the walls brimmed with framed certificates and metals.

A middle-aged, plump man sat behind a large, wooden desk, staring at me with cold, ridiculing eyes. I smiled flirtatiously.

"Ms. Frost," he greeted coldly.

"Colonel William Stryker." I spoke with the same harshness he did.

"Take a seat," he said.

I worked my way across the room and sat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

"You said you held something that was of interest to me," he said. He sat forward, crossing his hands on the desk.

"Indeed, I do." I held the CD up and the case glimmered in the artificial light.

I put it down on the table and slid it toward him.

"This is classified documentation of a Class Five mutant who is a great danger to your society," I said.

Stryker took the CD and placed it in the DVD player attached to his computer. I watched as the black and white images from Shaw's security cameras projected themselves onto the screen. First, the events of day four were shown as the girl threw a heavy load of fire toward my dear Shaw's back. The image cut off right before Shaw absorbed it.

Then, the movie cut to the beach when her lightning was released. The barrier formed around her and the sporadic bolts reached out miles around her into the ocean. Then, the screen turned black.

"Her name is Rebecca Shaw and she controls the five elements- air, water, earth, fire and lightning."

"How dangerous is she?"

"When she is mad, she could burn the world with one wave of fire."

Stryker's Adam's apple moved in and out as he swallowed down his fear.

"She looks young," he said, his voice wavering.

"Fifteen."

"I'm assuming that makes her even more dangerous- a teenager whose hormones are raging."

"Exactly." I held back the vengeful smile that wanted to so badly spread across my face.

"Well," he sat back, his head leaning against the back of the chair, "you've experienced her powers first hand. What do you suggest we do?"

I folded my hands on my lap. "For the safety of the world...kill her."


	2. Surpries and Revelations

**So…I didn't realize when I made them young in the first story that I was going to incorporate that Erik was in the Holocaust….so….let's just say they don't age Enjoy!**

_Simultaneously in Westchester, New York…_

"Are you serious?" I flipped back around in my chair and glared at the professor in shock. "You brought him here?"

"Surprise," said Erik from behind me. I rolled my eyes.

"He owed me a favor," said Professor Xavier. His eyes shifted upwards at Erik with a sparkle of something I didn't recognize from him.

"What good could possibly come from talking to him?" I said, trying to hold my very little bit of ground.

Erik laughed but I didn't look behind me.

"I think he'll surprise you," said the professor.

I let out an exasperated sigh, realizing I really had no ground in this decision. I was stuck and I didn't like it.

"_Are you sure I can trust him_?" I asked mentally.

"_No doubt_."

I turned around and looked at Erik. He stared at me, a small smile fixed on his face. I sat for a moment in silence, contemplating what to do.

"I'll talk to you," I finally said. "On one condition."

Erik's smile grew wider, he laughed softly and put his right hand in his pocket. "What's that?"

"You do not ask me to join your side." I spoke harshly. "I've been through that fight once and I'd rather not do it again."

Erik nodded and put both hands in the air like a surrender. "Fine."

"Fine."

There was a moment of silence.

"So are we going or not?" Erik turned his back and began to walk away.

I turned to the professor and he smiled and flicked his chin forward, telling me to go ahead. I jumped out of my seat and jogged after Erik.

"Where are we going?" I asked as my feet struggled to keep up with his quick pace.

"My favorite spot on this property."

He kept his stride and walked out the front door. He continued on until he ended up in front of the cream colored stone wall that reached around the entire campus. He rested his forearms on the stone and he gazed out at the large satellite dish in the distance like he was watching a childhood movie.

As my eyes returned to his face, I caught a glimpse of his left arm. Etched in dark black ink were six numbers written in perfect handwriting.

"So, what did Shaw do to you?"

His blunt question made me jump out of whatever state I zoned out to. My gaze quickly left his arm and found his surprisingly calm hazel eyes.

"He killed my mother and then ten years later he kidnapped me, tortured me and then tried to finish me off."

I don't know why, but I told him without one reservation. I just felt like I could tell him; he was almost magnetizing. He took a large breath in.

"Me too," he said. "Except I didn't have a ten year break."

There was a slight pause.

"What about your father?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"He wanted me to go with Shaw; he idolized him. He couldn't care less about how I felt about my own future." I paused. "You?"

"He was killed by Nazis."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. I had just arrived at Auschwitz with my mother and father. We got to a point where they separated the parents from the children. Most of the kids just let themselves be pushed around and taken away, but I wasn't going to let that happen. I put up a fight."

I watched his eyes as his story unfolded and they seemed to fog over as he relived it all in his mind.

"With the anger I was exuding, my powers manifested themselves for the first time. I ended up bending the metal gate that separated my parents from me. Shaw noticed what happened and brought me and my mother to his office."

He bowed his head and swallowed before continuing.

"He told me he was going to count to three and I had to move a coin. If I didn't by the time he reached three, he would shoot her." Another pause. "I didn't move the coin."

"Wow." I found myself dumbfounded. Shaw really was a monster: a manipulative, sociopathic monster.

"I became so angry that everything metal in his room crumpled like you crush a piece of paper in your fist. Shaw was so impressed, he made me his lab rat. I didn't escape until ten years later."

"Wow." I couldn't get my brain to think of any other word.

"I spent the next eight years hunting down other Nazis, but my ultimate goal was to kill him."

"What made you stop?"

He smiled softly and looked at me straight in the eyes. "Charles did."

"But you two…" I felt my forehead crease in confusion and partial shock.

"Were best friends before we were bitter enemies."

My jaw slacked and I quickly managed to close it again.

"He brought me down enough to where I let Shaw escape with his life."

"So what happened between you two? How did you guys become enemies?"

"He was shot by a bullet I deflected."  
>He lost his composure for a quick second, but quickly fixed himself. As I thought, I never saw a bullet wound scar anywhere on the Professor's body; it must have been somewhere I couldn't see. Then, I realized exactly where the scar was. It was at the base of his spine- the bullet was what put the professor in his wheelchair.<p>

"But, you still hate Shaw though, right?" I asked, changing the subject.

"With every cell in my body."

"Then can you tell me why you became him?"

Erik's eyes went wide at the accusation and he took a step back.

"What are you talking about?"

I laughed at the absurdity. "Are you so full of yourself that you haven't even realized it? Shaw's main goal was to have mutant domination; your main goal is to have mutant domination. Shaw didn't let anyone or anything get in his way- human or mutant. He never thought of killing as an act of cruelty: he just thought of it as part of the job. Oh, and guess what? So do you."

Erik had no rebuttal; he just stared at me with a dumbstruck look spread across his face. He stared at me like I was the first person to ever say this to him. Maybe I was.

"You didn't kill him? Shaw?" he asked.

"No." I didn't know where he was going with this, but I let him continue.

"Don't you wish you were? Don't you wish you could go back in time and take the man's life who almost took yours?"

I let my head fall forward and smiled softly. Then, I picked my head back up and looked at him with pity. "See, that's the difference between you and me. You're a man of revenge and I'm not."

"What?"

"You're a victim of the Holocaust- a terrible even caused by humans who were too easily persuaded by the words of a tyrant. They caused devastation and horror and you have come to believe that all humans are like the Nazis- and because of that all humans should be exterminated. Your cause of mutant superiority is your way of exacting revenge. Because this time, you're the stronger party. You're not the helpless, defenseless victim anymore. You want them to be."

"But for me, it was never about revenge. I take the pain and anger and use it to fuel my motivation to work harder and get stronger so whatever caused the pain and anger can't happen again."

"If humans are alive then it will absolutely happen again. They are creatures of habit."

"Erik, I could never be on your side: killing the human race. I have a tie to them that no act of cruelty can snap: my mom." I thought for a second. "And you know what, your mother was human too! Your tie is just as strong as mine."

"But my point here is, is that any anger caused by humans- whether it's the mutant registration act or the cure- I channel it within me to make something good come out of it. Maybe you should too."

Erik remained silent and looked away from me. Even though he wasn't looking straight on at me, I could see it in his eyes that I was starting to break the shell.

"What about Shaw?" he said.

"I used the anger Shaw created to make myself even stronger than I've ever been." I paused, letting my internal realization hit me. "I guess in a way, I have to thank Shaw for making me the stronger person I am today. Because of the pain he caused, I became able to control my lightning and it gave me the strength and control I've always wanted. Yeah, Professor Xavier helped me put it all together, but Shaw was the catalyst."

Suddenly, I felt the giant mass of stress and anger dissipate off my shoulders as I finally put my pent up anger behind me.

Erik looked at me and I felt like he could read my mind through my eyes and I could read his. I could tell he was disappointed at himself, probably thinking that me, this young girl could accomplish something that he never could: forgiveness.

"You could let it go too," I said. "If you tried."

He looked away again.  
>"Revenge can supply your strength for your powers; that's true. But it can only supply so much. What happens when you get tired of being angry?"<p>

He again said nothing, but I could tell he knew I had a point. Then, I noticed his eyes had shifted from me to the window leading into Professor Xavier's office.

"I'm sure he's forgiven you. Maybe it's time you forgive yourself."

Then, I heard the sound of Professor Xavier's wheelchair moving across the gravel and come up behind us. We both turned to face him.

"Did you have any success?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah. Well, I did anyway," I said.

He smiled widely. "Fantastic. I'm very happy for you."

"I think Erik still has some things to work out, though."

Erik didn't agree or disagree; he just stared at the grass. The professor nodded his head.

"Well, let's go back inside," proposed the professor. "Get something to eat."

"I can't," declined Erik. "I have to go."

"Erik please…"

"No, I really…I just have to go."

There was another moment of silence, but I knew in their minds there was no silence- they were conversing.

"It was nice seeing you again, my friend," said the professor out loud.

With that, Erik turned and left, not saying another word.


	3. Catch

The next day, Alex and I were sitting in our room, talking about the day before.

"So, he just stood there and spilled his life story to you?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, it was weird. He didn't seem like the type to just open up like that."

"Was he nice to you?"

"Nice enough, I guess. I mean, he wasn't exactly warm, but he didn't rip my head off either."

"Would you talk to him again?"

My answer was cut off by two loud raps at the door. I stood from my criss-cross position on the bed and opened the door. Professor

Xavier's smiling face greeted me.

"Hello, terribly sorry to interrupt, but someone is here to see you."

"Me?" My finger pointed to my chest.

"Yes, you."

"Who would want to see me?"

"They're in the main lobby."

Professor turned around and began to head for the foyer. I turned around and Alex shrugged his shoulders at me. Out of curiosity, I followed the professor down the hallway and into the foyer. My brow furrowed when I saw the man standing against the wall.

"Catch."

Erik uncurled his fist and revealed a small metal marble. His fingers flicked forward and the ball flew in the air toward my head. Then, I raised my own hand and stopped the marble in midair, a few inches away from my nose.

"What was that?" I questioned, my annoyance clearly visible in my tone.

"I wanted to know if it was true," he said, expressionless. "If there was another metal bender."

"Well I'm not..."

"Yes, I know, you bend the earth inside it."

His glare shifted from me to the professor.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't feel it was necessary to share," he responded calmly.

"Wait, if he didn't tell you, how did you know?"

"It doesn't matter." His eyes glanced over at me, but immediately returned to the professor.

"Charles, may I speak to you in private?"

"Of course."

Professor Xavier extended his arm toward his office, and the two of them walked through the open doors and then shut them, enclosing themselves into the room.

Hours passed and the office doors remained shut. Two hours after they shut themselves in, Alex came out and sat with me in the foyer. I explained what was going on and he decided to wait and see what was going to happen. Then, three and-a-half hours after I walked in to find Erik Lensherr waiting for me, the door clicked as they unlocked it, and slid open. Alex and I stood up.

"Rebecca, would you come in, please?" asked the professor.

I walked forward and Alex began to follow me.

"What are you doing?" sneered Erik.

"I have a right to know," spat Alex, hate dripping off every word. "She is my girlfriend."

"It's fine if he's here," I said. "Really."

Erik glared at me, but said nothing and let Alex pass. The door was closed behind us and we all stood around the professor's desk.

"So?" I questioned. "What did we decide?"

"Erik has chosen to stay for a while," said the professor.

"What? Why?" Alex stepped forward.

"He's agreed to help Rebecca in her metal bending."

"WHAT? Fuck no!"

Alex's face grew bright red as anger became visible. His hands turned into fists and his jaw clenched.

"Alex..." began the professor.

"No, I'm not letting him near her! For all you know, he wants to kill her because he's jealous that he's not the only metal bender anymore!"

"I do know and that is not the case."

Professor Xavier kept his calm composure, like he always did.

"No. Over my dead body."

"Wait a minute!" I shouted over the guys, quieting them. "Don't I get a say in this?"

The three of them became silent and looked at me in anticipation for my answer.

"If he's genuinely willing to teach me, then why wouldn't I let him?"

I turned to Alex and he stared at me in silent horror. His jaw was slack, practically hitting the floor.

"Are you nuts? He's just going to manipulate you to get whatever it is he wants."

"Alex, come on. Have some faith that people can change," I attempted to calm him.

"I do. He lost the right to have it a long time ago."

Then, Alex turned his back and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. We all stood in silence for a moment before I turned my eyes from the door and to Professor Xavier.

"Go after him," he said, nodding his head.

I nodded back and ran after Alex, going to the place I thought I would find him. My intuition was proven right when I walked into the bunker and found him taking wild hits at a mannequin on the other side.

His head turned slightly in my direction as the door boomed shut, but his eyes remained on his target.

"Alex," I said, "talk to me."

"I don't know what to say, Rebecca! You're just going to let him into your life without a fucking clue as to what his motives are! I know for a fact it's not out of the goodness of his heart." He spun around and faced me now. "I thought you'd be more careful after Shaw."

"Shaw was different and you know it. First, he inserted himself into my life; I didn't voluntarily let him in. And second, Shaw was a tyrant, but Erik is one of his victims! That's why he is the way he is."

"But you're willing to let him in, and then open up and tell him everything, even things you're not willing to tell me."

"Because he already knows! I don't have to retell the story and relive it because he already knows."

Alex turned away and took another strike at the mannequin.

"Alex, I want to tell you everything; to let you in all the way. You know I do. But for right now, this is my all the way."

Alex exhaled through his nose, and struck again.

"He's messed up, Rebecca."

"The professor can help him."

"He tried that already, and you know where that got him? In a fucking wheelchair."

"People can change."

"Not Erik Lensherr; not Magneto. He's had his mind set on his vision for more than a decade. He's not going to just stop now because he met you."

I swallowed back tears.

"I hope you're wrong."

"I'm not."

With nothing left to say, I turned my back and walked out as he continued to destroy the plastic woman.


	4. Remind Me of Someone

"Sorry about that," I sighed, walking over to Professor Xavier and Erik who had moved into the foyer. "Alex is a bit…hot headed sometime."

"Tell me about it," scoffed Erik.

"So, when do you want to get started with this whole training thing?"

"As soon as possible."

"Great, I'll leave you two to it." The Professor smiled at me before wheeling himself towards the cafeteria.

Erik and I stood for a second in silence, him staring at the floor and me at the wall.

"Let's go."

Erik turned his back suddenly and walked out of the front door. I swiftly followed him and we ended up in the same place on the front lawn where we had spoken the last time- staring out at the satellite dish.

"So, how do we do this?" I questioned.

No words came as a response, but instead another metal marble flew toward my head. It was significantly smaller than the last one, and I reached out to stop it, but its path didn't falter and it bumped into my temple.

"What was that?" I picked up the marble from next to my foot and chucked it back toward him, aiming at his head. But, instead of hitting him, it stopped an inch away and began to levitate in the air. His hand sat at his waist, controlling the ball's every movement with the tiniest twitch of his pinky.

"The number one thing you need to work on is your senses. You control the earth inside it, not the magnetic field like I do. You need to be able to sense the tiniest amount of earth in the smallest metal object around if you're going to be able to use it to your advantage."

"You're talking as if you're training me for war." I crossed my arms and chuckled.

"Isn't Xavier doing the same thing?"

"What?"

"Don't be so stupid."

"Hey!"

He ignored my outburst. "Everyone knows a mutant/human war is going to break out one day, but no one knows when. Charles may be excellent at hiding it, but he's training you all so you can survive."

"I think you're a caught up with your past." I held my ground.

"Do you not agree with me?"

"Do I think there's a possibility a war could happen, yeah. But do I think that's the only option, no. The Professor isn't turning us into soldiers. He's helping us so we can control our powers and make our environment safer for ourselves and the people around us."

He scoffed. "It sounds like you're talking straight out of a political ad."

I scoffed as well. "So do you."

He turned his body so he was looking at me face to face. He stared at me for a minute with piercing eyes before his shoulders relaxed and he faced the satellite again, a small, nervous smile appearing on his face.

"Sorry," he said, putting a hand through his hair. "I don't mean to be…curt, but you just…you remind me of someone."

"Really? Who?"

"No one…it's nothing." His shoulders became tense again.

"No, really, you can tell me. I won't bite…unless you tell me it's Shaw. Then I might kick your ass."

He laughed. "No, it's not Shaw. It's…you remind me of my daughter, actually."

I almost choked on the amount of air I inhaled. "You have a daughter?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen her in years, though; for all I know, she may not even be alive. But until a couple years ago, we were pretty close."

"Oh…you have a daughter?"

He laughed lightly. "Yes. But, like I said, we're not exactly buddy-buddy."

"Why not?"

He bent his head toward the ground and a small metal marble began to rise out of his pocket and orbit two of his fingers. I watched in fascination as he easily worked the rock through the air, not even glancing at it; it was like he was doing nothing at all.

"We uh…we disagreed on certain principles."

"Principles? What kind of principles?"

"Wanda was-is-a bit less sympathetic than I am."

I almost choked again. "You're not serious."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you're not exactly the epitome of compassion."

"Yeah, well, think of me and add a bag of psychosis. She didn't want to just rid the world of the humans. She wanted to get rid of anyone who disagreed with her ideals. That includes Charles and everyone else that follows him."

"That's…harsh."

"Which is why we went our separate ways. I believe the world would be better human free, but fighting against our own kind- that's stepping over the edge."

I blinked several times, making sure I wasn't dreaming. But no matter how many times my eyelids shut and reopened, Erik stood in front of me, levitating the marble and pouring his heart out.

"I never thought…"

"You never thought I could have a heart?"

His eyes rose and met mine, and he let out a smirk.

"I've heard that before."

I released a small smile as well.

"And I thought I was being original."

Suddenly, his palm flattened and he shot the marble toward me again. I closed my eyes and directed my senses toward the marble flying through the air. I fisted my hands, catching hold of the earth in the metal and clenched my muscles. Opening one eye, I saw the marble had stopped just an inch away from my nose. I couldn't help but let my smile increase, showing off my teeth.

"Good job," praised Erik. "Soon, we'll get you to the point where it's effortless. No closing your eyes or ridiculous amounts of concentration; it'll be completely natural."

"Why are you doing this for me?"

He let out a breathy laugh. "I think it's time I made up for some bad things I've done."


	5. Now Leave

Over the next few weeks, Erik and I worked every day on my metal bending skills, and every day we grew closer. Over time our conversations morphed from short, 'how are you?' talks to longer, deeper discussions about our lives. We spent nights chatting, laughing. His relationship with me became more and more comfortable, like one I assumed someone would have with their uncle or a father that actually loved them; it almost rivaled my relationship with the Professor. I found myself spending less and less time with Alex and the Professor and more time with him, finding that I related to him in a way that I couldn't with them. I didn't have to say a word; I didn't have to tell any stories- he just knew. And that was comforting.

On an average Tuesday morning, we went outside like we always did. We walked out of the school laughing and standing close together, our hips almost touching.

"So," he began, stifling his laughter and getting down to business, "I think your progress has been...well, for the lack of a better word, incredible."

I felt my cheeks beginning to warm up. "Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without you."

He smiled warmly, but his eyes looked toward the ground.

"What's wrong?"

I furrowed my brow, taking the easily identifiable hint.

"Well, now that we've accomplished what we wanted to accomplish, I don't have to be here anymore."

My smile fell and my heart gained twenty pounds in my chest.

"You're leaving?"

"Becca, I have people of my own I have to return to. I've stayed this long, but my heart is still with my beliefs. I'm not going to stop trying to make them reality."

I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it, my brain fogged over in surprise. "I thought…I thought you were changing your mind."

"No."

"But I don't want you to go."

He smiled and finally raised his eyes to look at me.

"Then come with me."

My mind went blank as his statement registered, my bottom jaw slacking and my eyes becoming as wide as a deer's in the headlights.

"W…What?"

"Why not? We could do magnificent things with each other. Two metal benders; we could rule the world."

My brow furrowed. "Rule the world?"

"Rebecca, listen to me." He moved in closer to me, now whispering. "You and I with our powers- we could do anything and everything. We could make the world better."

"What, by killing off the human race?" My volume raised and I took a step back from him, my anger beginning to climb. My twenty pound heart was no bits and pieces in my chest.

He paused, swallowing before he spoke. "You will never be a victim again."

I threw my hands up in the air and turned around in rage, desperately trying to keep sudden tears at bay.

"Are you serious?" I screamed, my back still to him. "Really? The one thing I told you not to do, and you do it anyway!" I shouted toward the sky, my eyes facing up.

"Think about it…"

His hand touched my shoulder and whipped around, grabbing his hand and slammed my own toward the ground. His body fell to the gravel with a loud thud as if a car had run him over (the air blast I had created was about that strong). His hand that I was holding was bright red as I continued to squeeze, sucking the air out from around his fingers.

"Rebecca…stop." He grabbed his wrist with his other hand, trying to wiggle it out of my grasp. But it didn't budge.

Suddenly, the doors of the mansion flew open as Scott and Professor Xavier came out, the Professor obviously worried about what he had sensed in his mind.

"What…" Scott stared at us in confusion, but before his sentence could form, the Professor placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

The Professor had gone from concerned to straight faced, no emotion; the look he had when he faced Shaw, the enemy. He wheeled toward Erik as fast as his wheelchair could go, and put his hand on top of mine. His cool grip soothed the heat that was seeping out of my own, fire desperately wanting to consume the traitor.

"_Rebecca, let go_," he said calmly.

"_Why should I_?"

"_Let me deal with him."_

I looked up from our hands and his eyes were as clear as ever, assuring me that he would do as he said.

Slowly, my grip loosened and Erik let out a moan of pain as he finally got his hand back, bright red and would most likely be black and blue lately. I took a few steps back, separating myself, and Scott came over to me and put his hands on my shoulders. The Professor took my place in front of Erik, his face stoic.

"I want you off my property," he said, no inflection in his voice. "Now."

"Charles, I'm…"

"You not only betrayed Rebecca's trust but mine as well. Now leave. Before I make you."

Erik looked up in shock, and my gaze followed. I had never heard the Professor threaten anyone, even with Shaw.

The air became silent and still, and Erik and Professor Xavier stared intently at each other, in conversation in their minds. Then, without taking his gaze off of the Professor, Erik stood from his knees, brushed the dust from his pants and turned his back. He walked around the corner hastily, trying to get out of sight as quickly as possible.

"_Is he leaving_?" I asked.

"_Yes._"

I nodded slowly, everything now beginning to soak in.

"_Can I go_?"

"_Yes_."

With that, I took off running into the mansion. I pressed the button for the elevator several times, even though I knew it wouldn't bring it any faster. Once it finally arrived, I pressed the button for the basement. The doors opened to our vast underground facility and I sprinted down to the right where, down a small flight of stairs, was the heavy, durable door to the bunker. The door moaned as I pulled it open and stepped inside. Alex stood there, and as I walked in a bright crimson beam shot out from his chest and shattered the target at the other end of the space. He laughed victoriously at his inanimate opponent and then turned to me, his smile falling when he saw the tears dripping down my face.

"Rebecca, what's wrong?"

He began to walk to me, but I jogged to him, throwing myself into his arms and letting out my tears. His shoulder immediately became wet with salt water as he let me bawl, rubbing his hand in a small circle on my back as he tried to console me.

"You were right," I managed to choke out. "About Erik, you were right." I raised my head from his shoulder and wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand. "He tried to have a better relationship with me than you guys so I would join him…I can't believe it."

He smiled slightly. "I'm sorry."

I laughed softly. "No, you're not. You were just waiting for this…God, I should have listened to you."

"Yeah, well, everyone learns sooner or later that I'm usually right."

He got me to smile, and his smile widened at his success. We stood for a minute, the only sound my sniffles echoing through the bunker. Then, Alex's head perked up as he came up with an idea.

"Here, hold on a sec."

Running over to the side of the bunker, he pulled a lever and the sprinklers let their water loose, quenching the fire that engulfed the target and making my clothes damp.

"What are you doing?"

With the fire out, Alex turned the lever back and the sprinkles ceased. Then, he walked back over to me and turned my body to face the stuffed, worn down mannequin.

"Hit it."

"What?" I turned my head to look at him.

"Just hit it. Trust me, it works."

I sighed, knowing that even if I said no he wouldn't stop until my answer turned to yes. I spread my feet shoulder width apart, and took a few deep breaths. Alex moved aside, leaning his shoulders against the wall.

I focused on the target, putting Erik's face on the faceless body. Suddenly, I could feel the fire racing to my palms and my arm shot out with the force that could have ripped my arm out of my socket if I didn't put my other hand out as a stopper. The wave of fire raced in a perfectly smooth, straight line and hit the mannequin straight in between Erik's eyes. The entire head was devoured in flames and I smiled, some of my anger and pain now released with the flames.

"Does it help or does it help?"

I laughed, turning toward Alex.

"It helps."

"Great, do it again."

Pulling the lever again, Alex put out the flames and let me go another round. This cycle continued until the mannequin was just a pile of ash on the ground, still smoking.


	6. She's Downstairs

**Hello faithful readers! I am so so SO sorry for keeping you waiting for such a long time! I had writer's block the size of the Hoover Dam...but it's here! The next chapter of the Next Chapter! I hope you like it, and don't forget to review!**

Alex and I finally left the bunker after my mood had increased significantly, my anger gone and replaced by fits of laughter from Alex's stupid jokes.

"Alright, here's one," he went on as we stepped off the elevator, "A mushroom walks into a bar-"

"Alex, not another one! I'm fine, really."

"Come on, it's funny! I'm on a roll here."

I rolled my eyes, continuing to smile. "Ok, so a mushroom is in a bar…"

"Right, and the bar tender looks at him and yells 'We don't serve your kind here!'. And…" Alex paused, overcome with early laughs, "and the mushroom says, 'Come on, I'm a fun guy.' Get it? Fun guy? Fungi?"

I laughed loudly, but not at his joke.

"Yeah, I get it. You're a comedic genius."

Alex continued to laugh next to me as we came to the foyer. It was there we saw a large group of kids standing around, all looking out the open doors. My curiosity spiked, I walked over.

"What are you all looking at?"

"The Professor," answered one of the kids toward the front of group.

"The Professor?"

I pushed my way to front of the crowd and sure enough, there was Professor Xavier sitting on the lawn, just in front of the stone wall.

"He's just sitting outside; what's so exciting about that?"

"He's been out there for the last hour," said another kid. "He hasn't moved or anything; he hasn't even itched his ear. It's weird."

"Have any of you gone and asked what he's doing?"

"No way! Not all of us have him as a legal guardian." The kid's eyes left the Professor and glared at me. "We can't just go up to him like that."

"Fine," I ignored his look, "I'll go ask."

I walked out of the doors and across the gravel until I was standing next to Professor Xavier. He was sitting there completely still like the kids said, his eyes shut, his mind completely focused.

"Professor?"

I whispered softly as if I was waking him from a deep sleep. At the sound of my voice, his eyes opened and he turned to me, smiling warmly.

"Hello, Rebecca."

"You've uh…you've gained an audience."

The Professor turned toward the mob of students and they all scattered, suddenly very embarrassed. He laughed softly.

"They said you've been sitting here for a while. They got curious as to what you were doing."

"Of course they did."

He turned back around.

"So…what were you doing?"

"Nothing of importance. Just listening to the sounds of the woods."

I looked out to the left and right of the mansion where trees lined the perimeter of the campus. I had never paid much attention to them, but in the twilight sun, they looked very beautiful. Just then, a bush at the entrance of the woods rustled. No wind blew to cause it to move, so I figured it was just a small animal. My shoulders tensed however, and I found myself flexing my hands and fingers.

"Rebecca, everything is fine. Nothing's out there."

He looked up at me and smiled again, his bright blue eyes glistening.

"I believe you."

"I think it's time we headed inside. It's getting a bit nippy."

With that, the Professor turned around and came back into the mansion, me following close behind.

X.X.X

That night, all of the students seemed to have forgotten about the Professor and his peculiar meditation session outside as they all began to talk about the holidays, now only a few months away. By the time of curfew, around ten o'clock, the halls were empty and everyone was in their rooms, a few of the older kids left awake in their beds.

"So, what do you think the Professor was really doing out there?" asked Alex, lying in his bed which was pushed up against mine.

"I don't know. Of course he didn't tell me. He thinks I haven't figured out when he's lying yet."

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, you'd think being a telepath, he would know."

"Yeah, well, I think he tries to not invade our minds every second he's with us. He tries to put some trust in his students."

"I know, but the buzz got louder since this afternoon. It's like he's listening in more than he usually does."

The buzz Alex was referring to was the soft, slightly noticeable presence of Professor Xavier in our minds. With some students he was worried about, he would keep his mind connected to them, just in case. Of course, he kept me on tabs at all times.

"It probably has to do with Eri…Magneto. He didn't read his mind because he thought he could trust him, and in reality, he couldn't. He's just a little more paranoid right now. I'm sure in a few days he'll go back to normal."

"I guess."

Alex let out a large yawn, stretching his arms out.

"I think it's time we go to sleep. We have class in the morning anyway."

"Mmk."

Before I even turned out the light, Alex had begun to softly snore.

X.X.X

Thump. Thump. Thump. Bang!

"Ahhh!"

Alex and I shot up simultaneously out of bed as we heard a loud bang outside, followed by several screams of terrified kids. The screams would fill our ears for no more than a few seconds before they abruptly faded, leaving the sounds of hundreds of feet running down the halls.

"What the hell is going on?"

Without thinking, the both of us jumped up and opened our door. Both of our jaws dropped.

At least fifty soldiers were racing down the halls, smashing through doors with guns in their hands. Several kids laid on the floor, alive but unconscious. Alex pulled me into the shadows and we watched as a younger student tried to run away, but was stopped when a needle hit him in the arm, and he fell down, asleep.

"They're tranquilizer guns," concluded Alex. "But they're not taking any of the kids."

"Well, we can't just stand here. We've got to get as many out as we can."

Alex nodded and we sprinted out of the shadows, ran down the halls and up the stairs. The soldiers hadn't reached this floor yet, and Alex and I began bursting into rooms.

"Everybody up! We're under attack; we've got to get out now!"

Soon, we had about thirty kids following us- the younger ones holding onto our hands tightly while the older kids stood around the group, ready to strike if needed.

Then, I noticed my mind was quiet. Behind my racing thoughts and questions, the soft buzz was gone.

"Alex. The Professor- I can't hear him. He's gone."

Alex stopped walking. "I can't either."

"They've got him; they've tranquilized him!"

Turning on my heels, I gave the small girl's hand I was holding to Sean, a red headed kid who was the same age as Alex, gifted with sonic screams.

"Take the rest of the kids to the secret passages in the walls. Get them out of here. I've got to get the Professor; I'm not leaving him here."

"I'm coming with you."

Alex handed a little boy off to another one of our friends and then we both sprinted down the stairs, heading toward the cross fire of soldiers.

"Wait."

We jumped off the last step and into the shadows, and I raised my arms in the air.

"What are you doing?"

"Creating a force field of air. If they try to go up the stairs, they'll just bounce backwards."

"Nice."

"Now come on. We've got to get the Professor."

Both of us ready, we ran into the light and into the view of the soldiers. Not giving them time to even raise their guns, Alex and I attacked. I threw them into the walls with strong blasts of air while Alex knocked them with blasts of energy, and each soldier we hit fell to the floor unconscious.

"All units to the first floor! All units to the first floor!"

I turned around to see another soldier came through the now shattered front door.

"She's down here!"

My heart sank. But before I could do anything, Logan jumped off the upstairs railing, roaring in anger, and plunged his claws deep into the man's back and he fell into a lump on the ground.

"You two all right?" he said, breathing heavily.

"They're here for me."

"What?"

Then, another platoon came in through the doors.

"He said in his radio to come downstairs, that she's down here. He was looking right at me."

"Rebecca, I can hear the Professor again," said Alex.

"You need to get out," ordered Logan.

"No, I'm going for the Profess-"

"Alex and I'll get him. Get out. Now!"

Logan banged his fist on the wood paneled wall and a secret passage opened.

"I can't leave!"

"If they're here for you, then yes, you can. We can handle this."

Just then, a round of tranquilizer needles rushed toward us. I threw a wave of air out and turned the needles around, shooting them back at the men. They all fell down unconscious.

"You were saying?"

"Rebecca, go!"

Logan took me by the back of my shirt and pushed me into the passageway, and then shut it behind me.

"No, guys, come on!"

I banged on the metal door, but there was no way back inside; the door didn't open from this side.

With nowhere else to go, I sighed and ran down the passageway, lighting a spark of fire in my hand so I could see. Several minutes later, I arrived in a wide open field, miles away from the mansion. Most of the kids already got out safely and Storm and Doctor Grey were keeping them calm, reassuring them that they were ok.

I walked over to them and Storm caught sight of me first.

"Rebecca, are you alright?"

She ran over and hugged me tightly.

"Yeah," I said, my eyes looking past her. "I'm fine."

"Did you see anybody still in there?"

"Alex and Logan were going to get the Professor, and a bunch of kids from the second floor should've gotten out."

I looked over and saw the group now sitting on the grass.

"There was a bunch of kids on the floor, knocked out. I was going to help them, but Logan wouldn't let me stay after I told him…"

"Told him what?"

"That the soldiers came to the school for me. They were trying to get me."

Storm's jaw slacked, but before she could say anything, the sound of Logan's grunt caught of both of our attention.

Logan came trotting out of the side of the hill where the passage opened, carrying the Professor in his arms. He came up to us and gently placed the Professor on the grass, and I bent down, pulling the needle out of his arm.

"Logan, where's Alex?" asked Storm. "Rebecca told me he was with you."

"He went to grab some of the kids who were hit. He should be here any second."

"You left him in there?"

I stood, suddenly enraged.

"Relax, he can handle himself."

"I'm sure he'll be here any second," said Storm, patting me on the shoulder.

Knowing I couldn't do anything about it, I sat back down and waited. Over the next ten minutes, the field became fuller and fuller as the remaining kids and teachers came through the passage. Cyclops came through the passage several times, going back and forth with injured kids. Finally, he came through with no kids in his hands and jogged over to us, giving Dr. Grey a tight hug.

"I'm the last one," he said, "the mansion's clear."

"What do you mean?" I asked, panic rising. "You have to go check again."

"I checked three times. What's the matter?"

"Alex never made it."


	7. A Pawn to Reach My Queen

All of the teachers screamed after me, but they got quieter and quieter as I sprinted away from them and back through the passageway to the mansion, pushing myself faster with waves of air. This time, I wasted no time in dealing with the locked door and lifted a boulder from the earthen floor and smashed it into the wall, the door flying off the hinges.

My head whipped from side to side, my brain frantically trying to decide which direction to try first. Eventually, I ran to the left toward the Professor's room, checking every bedroom, closet, opening or crevasse I thought he could possibly hide himself in. When all of them were empty, I ran the other way.

I stumbled over my own feet as I ran toward our rooms, my nerves and panic beginning to get to me.

"Alex!" I shouted down the hallways. "Alex, where are you?"

I checked the entire mansion with no success; I even ran to the roof, but the only thing left from the soldiers was the dirt tracks from their boots. I paced around the gravel roof top, my chest rising with exceptional speed. Then, with a shout, I blasted fire into the air, furious. I took a long, deep breath and then came back down to the foyer of the mansion where Logan, Scott and Professor Xavier had gathered.

"He's not here," I said, my voice loud with anger. "They took him. Why would they take him?"

I looked up at them, but none spoke up.

"They were here for me; I heard the soldier, he said it! So why did they take him?"

"I don't know," said the Professor, calmly. "But, if they were coming for you, I'm sure they had extensive records on you which more than likely included that you had a boyfriend."

My brain began to whirl, and I let myself fall to my knees.

"But why did they want me? I didn't do anything."

"Maybe they want to talk to you about Shaw," said Logan, crossing his arms.

"If they wanted to talk to her, they would've called, not send in an ambush," spat Scott, glaring in Wolverine's direction.

"Gentlemen, please."

The Professor wheeled himself over to me (they must have went back to his room and gotten his wheelchair).

"We will solve this, Rebecca," he put a hand on my shoulder, "and we will get Alex back safely. I promise."

I looked up at him and he smiled softly, his bright blue eyes sending me a sense of relief.

"Are you calming me with your mind?" I asked.

"Possibly."

We all smiled.

"Come on," said Scott, "we need to clean everything up and get the kids back in here."

The four of us began to clear dead bodies and smashed furniture out of the mansion: I would collect all of the trashed furniture in a pile and Scott would burn it to ashes with a blast from his eyes. Logan gathered all of the deceased soldiers and brought them into the basement, so the police could come and collect them at dawn. Professor Xavier called Dr. Grey in, and with her telekinesis, we finished cleaning up within an hour.

All of the students were brought back, though many of them wanted to stay huddled against the teachers, afraid that some other bad guys were going to come crashing into their rooms.

As the Professor, Scott and I were leading kids back through the passageway, a loud ringing began to echo throughout the tunnel.

"Is that…that's my cell phone."

Scott let go of the young student's hand he was holding and dug in his pocket for his phone.

"It's a blocked number," he said.

"Answer it," commanded the Professor.

Scott flipped his phone open. "Hello?"

He listened at the caller's opening statement and his eyes widened.

"Professor, we need to go to a private room."

Without a word, the Professor led the way back into the mansion and into the elevator. Logan, sensing the urgency, followed us in.

"What's going on?" he asked as the elevator brought us downstairs.

"Alex's kidnapper is on the phone and he wants to speak to the Professor," said Scott.

I swallowed hard, even though my mouth was bone dry.

Once the doors finally opened, we all rushed into an empty conference room, placed the phone at the center of the table and put it on speaker.

"Charles Xavier speaking," he said strongly.

"My team must have taken out your landline. Oh, well. Good thing we all have cell phones. I tried two others before Mr. Summers finally answered. It's funny considering I have his younger brother."

A deep, rough male voice came through the phone, and by his tone I could tell he was enjoying himself. He sounded older and tired.

"That's Stryker!" growled Logan next to me. His hands fisted and his claws came out.

"Stryker?" I turned to him in confusion.

"Why am I not surprised that this is your doing, William?" said the Professor coolly.

"William Stryker is a Colonel at the C.I.A. who hates mutants and anybody who supports them. He basically wants us eradicated from the world." Logan whispered to me.

"So he's the non-mutant version of Shaw?"

"Basically."

"I have to say," spoke Stryker, still sounding as if he were smiling, "you have a very valiant, yet very stupid student attending your school, Xavier."

"What do you want from him?" The Professor's voice rose in volume and intensity.

"Oh, I don't want him; I thought you would've figured that out by now. He's just a pawn to reach my queen." He chuckled. "That was a chess reference, I hope you got it."

"This is no time for jokes, Stryker. I'm through playing games with you."

"But, I like games. Especially a sort of ransom game. I will give you back the boy unharmed if you hand over a young girl by the name of Rebecca Shaw."

"We have no one at this school by that name."

Shuffling papers echoed through the speaker until Stryker spoke again.

"Oh right, she changed her name. Fine, Rebecca Mason. Have anyone at the school by that name?"

"I'm not going to hand a student over to you and you know that."

"Oh yes, how could I forget? You're her legal guardian! Your bond with her is much too strong for you to realize that the world would be safer without her."

"What do you mean?" Scott interjected himself into the conversation. His whole body was tense and a large vein was protruding from the center of his forehead at that thought that Alex was in Stryker's clutches.

"That girl has the power of four atomic bombs trapped inside of her body for her to use whenever she wants. The power to destroy this world lies in the body of a fifteen year old girl; can you imagine what could happen if poor Alex here broke up with her? Her rage could fuel our destruction."

"Stryker, if your files were correct, you would know she is in control of her powers. She is not the least bit dangerous to anyone."

"That isn't what my very reliable source told me."

"Source?" said Logan. "Who the hell is your source?"

"Names don't matter. What matters is that our source has seen her powers first hand and has brought us proof of the absolute, devastating power this girl possesses. Our job is to make sure she doesn't have the chance to use them anymore."

"I'm not going to let you kill her."

"Fine. Then, this young man will just have to suffer until you come to your senses. Or die if you don't."


	8. Please

As soon as the phone call ended, the Professor asked me to leave.

"Professor, please, it's my fault he's there; let me help save him."

"Rebecca, you've been through enough tonight, and there is nothing you can do right now. Let us handle this."

With that, I was cast out of the room just as Storm and Dr. Grey rushed inside. They stayed in the room for hours, their voices rising and falling as they argued about rescue plans. My fists remained clenched the whole time as I sat next to the door, desperately wanting to hear more than the mutters I could through the thick metal door. I would've tried to spy on them- bend the metal to make it thin enough to hear through, but with the Professor, I knew I would never get away with it.

Finally, at four in the afternoon, eleven hours after Stryker's phone call, the doors to the conference room opened and the teachers filed out, heading to the elevator, back to everyday life as if there wasn't someone being held hostage by a government supported, very powerful bigot.

Logan was the last to come out of the room and the only one to glance down at me, his eyes warmer than I had ever seen them.

"He'll be alright, kid."

I tried to smile at him, but couldn't get myself too. I ended up just looking up at him with watery eyes, trying really hard not to cry.

"Yeah."

The corners of his lips curved up in a small smile and he walked away, leaving me alone once again. Taking a very large deep breath, I stood on now shaking legs and went into the basically empty conference room, the only person left being Professor Xavier who was sitting with his back to me.

"I know you're planning to rescue him," I said, my voice just slightly unbalanced, "and I know you're keeping me out of it. So, I just….he told them to take him instead of me because he knew I was who they were looking for. He wanted me to be safe and so he put himself in danger. And I'm sure you're plan is fine, I know you've done this before, but I want to be a part of it. I have to be. So…I guess what I'm saying is…is that either you let me in on the plan or I'm going to go by myself."

The Professor remained turned around the entire time I spoke; the only time he moved was when he dropped his hand.

"I can't just sit here."

"Rebecca, I know you are worried; I am too. But, you need to believe that we can do this. The X-Men have done this sort of thing plenty of times before."

"I know, but this time, you need me. While you were planning, so was I. If the X-Men go without me, they'll have no way to know what lies outside or around that base until they're too close. They need someone who can sense danger from far away as well as someone who can attack from a long range. I can do both."

"Scott and Storm are perfectly capable of protecting the others."

"But, Professor," I felt my mind began to sputter as my argument began to go down in flames, "I…I can feel the Earth! I can tell how many people are around me for at least one hundred feet away.

"No."

"Alex will listen to me!" My voice grew louder as I grew more desperate. "He'll be angry and he'll want to fight and be the hot-headed Alex he is and do something stupid, but if I'm there, he'll listen."

The Professor turned his wheelchair around, giving me a look of absolute frustration and pride mixed together.

"Rebecca…"

"Please. I'm begging you. I need to be there; I need to help. It's because of me he's there. Please."

The Professor's head tilted to the side and he sighed.


	9. Midnight Tonight

I sat at the empty conference table, my chin resting on the cool surface, my eyes locked on the cell phone lying in front of me. The only sounds were the even rhythm of my breathing and the anxious tapping of my foot. I had been staring at the phone for the last few minutes, my thoughts going back and forth. _Do it, don't do it, do it, don't do it. _However, I had already made the decision; I knew what I was going to do. With one final deep breath, I sat up, reached over for the phone, went into recent calls and hit redial. It rang twice before Stryker picked up.

"Have you come to your senses already, Xavier?" he said. "I have to say, I'm impressed."

"Meet me in Westchester Park at midnight tonight and if you bring Alex unharmed, I'll go with you. No fighting, no surprises."

There was a moment of silence.  
>"How do I know you're not lying?"<p>

"I promise you I will go with you. I'm the one you want, I'm your target. There's no need to involve anyone else."

"You're willing to give your life for him?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be calling you. I know what I'm doing."

There was another pause.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Westchester Park?"

"Ten minutes from the mansion, midnight."

"Fine. See you there."

The phone line went dead and I lowered it from my ear back onto the table. Taking another deep breath, I turned around and Professor Xavier gave me a soft smile and a nod, placing his hand on my shoulder as a signal of a job well done. I smiled softly back at him. The plan was now in motion.


	10. You Really Think We're Monsters

I walked through the soggy grass of Westchester Park in the drizzling rain until I reached a large, empty area of grass, just in front of the back entrance of the park. The circular meadow was bordered by trees and tall bushes; the only ways in and out was the path I just came from or the one that Stryker was facing, his back now to me. When there was about eight feet between us, I stopped.

"Stryker."

His head flipped around at the sound of my voice, but once his eyes confirmed who I was and I wasn't ready to attack, the rest of his body turned in a more relaxed fashion. He was short for a man, more meaty than I had originally expected and he had gray hair which was barely visible in the late, dark sky.

He scoffed as if he found something funny. "I'm surprised you came alone."

"I'm not surprised you didn't."

His eyes widened for a quick second before returning to normal.

"It was a good idea, hiding fifty of your guys in the bushes and trees. But, it's only a good idea if you're dealing with someone who can't sense everything within a hundred feet of herself. You get a lot of perks from being able to control the earth."

"That's very clever of you. I'm impressed."

"Where's Alex?"

I remained straight faced.

"Behind me in the truck."

He pointed over his shoulder and I could just see the gleam of a black truck sitting next to the curb.

"I want to see him."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because I let him out and then you two kill me and my men, you burn our bodies and then you run back to your utopian school as if nothing happened."

I smiled at him in pity. "You really think we're monsters, don't you?"

"I see the truth."

"You see what you want to see. You like feeling powerful and you like it when you're in charge, but when you know that there's a whole new species of humans out there that are stronger than you and will always be more powerful than you, you become scared. And fear turns into discrimination which leads to extermination. I'm not going to hurt you, I promised you that."

He chuckled, folding his arms across his chest.

"What's so funny?"

"I just…you're much shorter than I had pictured in my head."

"That scares you too, huh? You do know that height has nothing to do with it."

"I don't know anything, really."

Through the pitter patter of the rain, I could hear the trees and bushes begin to rustle. As I concentrated on the ground beneath me, I could feel the men shifting, their hands settling in position on their guns.

"Listen Stryker, I didn't come here to talk. Get Alex out here."

"You know what," he said, now smiling again, "I suddenly can't remember where he is."

I looked past him and the truck was gone.

"Don't mess with me, Stryker. I could flatten this whole area with a stomp of my foot."

"Yes, but are you faster than a bullet?"

I looked around us and the men had come out of hiding, the tips of their guns now peeking out of the leaves. I realized while looking that the barrels were bigger than normal guns; the ammo they were using was bigger, longer. I extended my fingers and could just feel the small metal point on the bullets they were using. Inside the guns, ready to fire at me, were tranquilizers.

I stood there for a moment, "trying to decide what to do."

"_He did exactly what we expected,_" I told the Professor.

Then, with a defeated look on my face, I raised my hands in the air in surrender.

"Good choice, but I'm afraid I can't trust you."

Before I could move, a sharp pain erupted at the base of my spine and my hand whipped back to find a tranquilizer sunken into my skin. I looked at Stryker once more before I fell to the ground, asleep.


	11. Alex!

I could feel my abdomen raising and lowering- I was breathing, alive. I had yet to open my eyes though, the lids too heavy. Slowly, I managed to lift my also heavy arms and rub my eyes for a good minute before I felt ready to wake up.

With a groan, I finally opened my eyes and my breathing jumped at the first sight of the room I was in. It was a cell- a blank room with plain white walls, just one dirt stained mattress which I was laying on and a strong plastic door, no metal in sight. Except for the few details, it reminded me way too much of Shaw's boat.

As my body continued to wake up, my senses beginning to activate, I swore I could hear someone breathing. Sitting up, I looked over to my right and saw a hard plastic wall with air holes throughout it. I could see another cell on the other side, and its occupant was sitting against the wall, the back of his short blond hair sticking through one of the holes. On all fours I began to crawl toward the other person, and as I got closer I realized that he wasn't just sitting, but he was asleep; I could faintly hear the sound of gentle snores.

"Alex?" I whispered first, but he didn't move.

Getting a little closer, I tried again.

"Alex."

This time I tried at my normal speaking volume, but all that led to was him shifting, his cheek now against the wall.

"Alex!"

"Huh? What?"

He shot up, looking around his cell, trying to find the voice. Then, he turned around and locked eyes with me. The first thing he did was smile and leaned forward as if he was going to break through the wall and tackle me with a hug. But then, he leaned back and his smile disappeared, replaced by an expression of horror.

"What are you doing here?" he got as close to the wall as he could, pushing his fingers through the holes. "How did they get you? They told me if I came, you would be safe!"

"You didn't actually think they were telling you the truth, did you?"

He sighed angrily. "I don't know what I thought….But, how did they get you here?"

"It doesn't matter, really. What matters is you: how are you? Are you ok?"

"Rebecca."

"Alex, they didn't hurt me, I am fine, now how are you? Did they hurt you."

There was a slight pause. "Not yet."

"Well, they won't get the chance for much longer," I whispered, getting as close as I could. "The Professor is connected to me mentally- and you too, actually. As the day goes, he'll be watching, learning the routine of this place. Then, tomorrow night, they're going to come and help us bust out. "

"You don't think it's going to be that easy, do you?"

"We're not waiting a week like they did when I was kidnapped by Shaw. I'm sick of this; we're getting out as soon as we can."

Then, the air conditioning got much louder in the rooms, and I looked up at the vent. A light blue gas was floating down from the vent, slowly filling the entire room.

"What's going on?" I coughed.

"It's sleeping gas," said Alex. "They've used it a couple times on me. But you can stop it, right? Create an air bubble or something?"

"I can, but I can't. I have to let everything happen; I can't fight. I need to be able to show the Professor everything."

"Right."

"So what happens once we're out?"

"Labs."

"Labs?"

"They test your powers in different conditions; they don't hurt you or anything. It's kind of like they're doing an analysis on you. Just don't piss of Stryker and you'll be fine."

"But they want to kill me."

"Maybe that was the initial plan. But, maybe they thought you would make a good government weapon."

My hands fisted, anger beginning to boil. "That's why they kept you even though they have me."

"Probably."

My vision began to blur and limbs grew heavy as if I hadn't just slept for hours.

"Rebecca?"  
>Alex had turned so his side was leaning against the wall, and placed two fingers through a hole, wiggling them. Smiling, I turned to the side as well and took his fingers in mine.<p>

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

"You too."

"I'll see you later," he smiled softly.  
>"Yeah."<p>

Then, as the gas grew more and more dense, the both of us fell to sleep.


	12. Note to Readers

Hello faithful readers!

This is just a note to all of you guys to say that I am so, so, so sorry for being so terrible at updating! I'm in my junior year of high school now and I'm completely buried under homework; finding time to write new chapters is getting very hard. But, I swear that there will be something up soon for every story. So, thank you SO much for sticking with me and following and favoriting; I promise you won't wait too much longer!

Thanks for having boat fulls of patience!

Stephanie (bakstar1996)


	13. The First Recruits

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for being patient with me! Just a quick note, because the X-Men are a part of the Marvel Universe, I slipped in a little reference to Captain America (the super soldier serum). If there's anything you don't get, feel free to PM me! Thanks for reading!**

"Rebecca! Becca!"

I could hear my name being yelled out, but it was muffled; it sounded as if I was wearing those fuzzy ear muffs that you only pull out on the coldest of winter days. But, as I woke up more and more, the volume at which my name was being called grew and, finally, my eyes shot open as the volume reached screaming-through-a-microphone level.

"Rebecca!"

I turned over on the ground and saw the end of a large gun headed for my temple. Without even thinking, I threw my hand out and the gun flew backward and into the wall a few feet in front of me. The guard who had been holding it was grasping at his shoulder; the force that I pushed the gun away and out of his grasp must've dislocated it. I stood and my feet stumbled around under me, the drug that knocked me out not completely gone from my system yet. I twirled around in place, trying to find Alex- he was the one calling my name, who woke me up so I could defend myself. But, he wasn't in the room with its off white walls and shatterproof windows.

"_Maybe they put his voice through an intercom system_," I thought to myself.

The only sounds were the constant whirring of the air conditioning units in the ceiling above and the escalating groans of pain from the guard who was now cowering against the door. He was young, no older than twenty-six years old.

"Are you ok?" I asked him, taking a step forward.

"Hey!" he shouted, his voice shaky and laced with fear. "Don't come any closer!"

I stopped and put my hands level with my head.

"Alright, fine, I won't come near you. Just, are you ok?"

"Do I look ok?"

"Sorry about that." I put my hands down. "When you wake up and see a large object coming straight toward your head, you tend to defend yourself."

"You defending yourself ended up in this!" He nodded his head toward his right shoulder.

"Again, sorry."

"You people are dangerous; why Stryker thinks this plan of his is going to work…"

His sentence trailed off as he realized he was saying too much, but I already heard what I had to.

"What plan?"

I went across the room and stood in front of him.

"What did I say about coming closer?" The guard threw his left arm between us to force some distance.

"You just asked me not to come any closer. You never ordered me."

"Then I order you to back off!"

"Too bad, I'm not your soldier. Now, tell me: what's Stryker planning to do?"

"Nah, ah, ah Ms. Mason. That is not information for him to give out."

Stryker's voice came through the intercom as the door to the cell unlocked. The guard turned the handle and ran out as fast as he could, slamming it shut behind him. It locked as soon as it closed.

"Why don't you tell me then?" I spoke toward the ceiling.

"Oh, you're so funny. If you didn't have the power to kill us all, I'd probably say that we would get along."

"Just because I have the potential power to kill us all doesn't mean that I'm ever going to embrace it, you know."

"One day you might lose your grip on these powers. What happens then?"

"That day will never come. I won't let it."

"But, do you have the power to stop it if it does?"

"You're starting to speak in riddles, and I'm too groggy to follow."

"If the day was to come where you lose your control of these genetic defects- if they began to control you- would you be able to stop yourself?"

His question baffled me. I had never really thought about that specific prospect because I never had to. Everyone who I had ever met, even Shaw, believed that I had the will and the strength to control my powers. Stryker was the first person to ever doubt my control, and I didn't know how to respond.

"Not sure, are you?" he said with a gloating tone. "Well, I thought of a plan in case you were stumped."

"A plan to kill me in case I go rogue?"

"No, a surefire plan to make sure that the day you lose control never comes."

"I thought I just told you that I have a plan in motion already."

"Your idea of will power and belief in yourself? Those two things can wash away in an instant! They're flimsy. My plan could keep you in line until you're lying on your deathbed."

I knew I was going to regret asking, but I bit the bait anyway.

"So what is this fantastic plan, then?"

"A serum."

"A serum that does…"

"A serum that puts you in my command."

I scoffed at the absurdity. "That sounds wonderful, Stryker! Really genius! Just, one quick question though: why the hell would I let myself become your personal lackey?"

"You wouldn't be working for me, not really."

"I'm sorry; I thought that's what "in my command" means."

"You have to remember that I work for the American government; I'm a Colonel."

My brow furrowed as I thought.

"You're going to forcibly put us into the army?"

"The government is spending all of this money that should be going to my facility on useless science divisions, trying to recreate the super solider serum. But, I say why waste all that time and money and resources if we have an entire population of super humans to choose from?"

I sighed as it clicked.

"You want to create an army of mutants."

"You catch on so quickly."

"And we- the ones you've captured already- are your first recruits."

"And," his tone grew more excited, "this is your first day of basic training. Let's see if you'll make the cut."


	14. Too Easy

"But what if I don't want to make the cut?"

"Then that little serum I told you about before will fix that right up. However, I doubt we'll have to worry about that."

"So, what exactly happened to you wanting me dead? Wasn't that your goal?"

"It was until one of my associates enlightened me with this brilliance."

"Yeah, brilliant."

"Now, to give you some incentive we've set up a little scenario; a training exercise if you will."

The wall behind me began to shake as it pulled away like folding closet doors. On the other side was an expansive space that seemed to go on at least a mile. At the very end was Alex, his arms tied behind his back and his ankles chained to the floor. Resting against his temple was the barrel of a gun. A large plastic contraption held it in place.

"We've given him a little something so his gift won't interfere with the exercise," sneered Stryker, his voice crackling above me.

"So, I'm just supposed to…"

"Save him before I press a trigger and splatter his brain matter across the wall. You have a minute and a half."

I looked across the empty space, no visible danger around. Carefully, I took one step, my foot crossing over into the other space.

Twenty men and women came out bursting out of the ceiling, the tiles smashing to the floor. All of them were heavily padded and armed- each had a bulky bulletproof vest strapped to them and each were holding very large guns with both hands, the barrels the size of my fists.

"Have fun."

With his final message, Stryker left and the crackling intercom quieted, leaving me and my about-to-be assailants in complete silence. All that was left was our breathing, the occasional shift of a foot and Alex's distressed and failing attempts of working his way out of the bondage.

"Listen," I began, moving my foot back to the safe side, "I really don't want to hurt any of you."

All I got in response was the locking and loading of every gun, all of them aimed at me.

"But, I see the feeling's not mutual."

Straightening my stance, I raised my hands and reached for the guns, the metal inside. My hands strained, shook as I pulled and pulled and got nothing.

"Plastic. Awesome."

Then, every soldier fired and I was met with a barrage of plastic, unstoppable bullets. I threw my hands up toward the ceiling and a wall of air shot up in front of me. The ammunition ricocheted off my shield and embedded themselves into the walls and floor around me.

"Omega formation!" shouted a male voice from the group. "Go, go, go!"

Feet sprinted into action and moved into a large semicircle around me, closing me in with nowhere to go.

"You have thirty-five seconds, Ms. Mason." Stryker's voice returned for just a moment and then disappeared as I glanced up at Alex, his eyes wide with stress.

"You know what?" I shouted out. "I think you win this round. I don't want to risk his life. I'm done."

I brought my hands level with my head and kneeled down to the ground. I lowered my eyes toward the floor and the soldiers relaxed, all glancing at each other with confusion.

"Too easy, I know," I muttered to them. "The feeling's mutual."

I slammed my hands down and the soldiers all flew back, my wave of air sending them crashing into the walls. They fell to the floor with thuds and groans and all with concussions. I ran from my spot and propelled myself to Alex with another quick blast. With three seconds left, my hands wrapped around the plastic contraption and threw it down, the gun strapped to it. The gun fired and the bullet hit the wall as I finished untying Alex's hands.

"Wow," he said, rubbing the irritated skin on his wrists, "who knew my girlfriend was so badass?"

"You should be used to it by now," I smiled as I turned the metal chains around his ankles to dust.

"Don't get too excited," said Stryker. "That was just the first go."


	15. From Memories, From Nightmares

The rest of the day was filled with more of Stryker's tests, and by the last one I was in a field behind the main building being faced with a full fledged squad of soldiers who were backed up by three tanks. Let's just say it wasn't a good day for them.

Once the last tank was reduced to a burning hunk of nothing, one of Stryker's guards came over and locked my hands behind my back, securing them with plastic handcuffs.

"You know plastic melts, right?" I said to the guard as he finished tightening the plastic around my wrists.

His eyes glanced up for a moment before returning to focusing on his task.

"Do you really agree with all of this?" I wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. "Imprisoning innocent people, subjecting them to all of this. Plus, those poor soldiers are all in the infirmary, and probably will be for a while; I mean, those are your own men."

"They're all alive?"

There was no masking the inflection in his voice caused by the surprise, but he took hold of my arm and began to lead me back to the facility as if I had said nothing.

"Every single one of them is alive. I couldn't kill an innocent person. I mean, could you?"

"No, but-"

"But, I'm a mutant and you're not. But, I can destroy a tank with a flick of my index finger and you can't. The thing is, though, is that I'm still a person. I look like a normal human being, I act like a normal human being, and yet just because I have a different genetic code, I have the military out to kill me."

"You're not dead now."

"Only because Stryker thinks I could be an asset."

"Is he right?"

I looked up at the young guard's face, and he was walking next to me now; his hand was still firmly grasping my arm, but his shoulders were relaxed.

"Am I an asset?"

"Yeah."

I glanced toward the ground as we approached the door to the jail quarters, sighing before I gave him an answer.

"I don't know what I am anymore."

I closed my eyes, waiting for the shot in the arm to send me to sleep like it did every other time we changed location. However, I remained conscious as the heavy doors slid open, and the guard directed me through.

The hallway we entered went on for the whole length of the building, jail cell after jail cell. Each room was slightly different, modified to keep its occupant inside.

"_Professor, there's more._"

"_More of what?_" He responded immediately as if he was waiting for me.

"_Mutants. It's not just me and Alex._"

"_How many?_"

"_Hundreds._"

"_Oh my God._"

"_I think our rescue mission just got much bigger._"

"_Rebecca, we don't have time to reorganize our entire plan. Everyone is already in place._"

"_But, we can't just leave them here!_"

"_We will go back for them. If there really are hundreds more, we will need a much larger team._"

As I tried to think of a reasonable counter to his very valid point, we reached my cell. The thick plastic door slid open with a whoosh of air, the guard unlocked the handcuffs and I stepped inside. I turned to the guard, smiled and then walked over to the wall connecting Alex's cell with mine.

"_Professor, you also have to think that maybe one of them might try to make their own escape when they see me and Alex making a run for it._"

"_Such a smart young girl you are, Rebecca. You may have made a wonderful leader to those pitifully naïve X-Men one day. It's a shame that you won't be alive much longer._"

A new voice intruded our conversation. It was cold, yet seductive; harsh, yet beautiful. It was a voice I had recognized from memories, from nightmares.

"_Professor, disconnect,_" I said, my telepathic voice shaking.

"_Welcome to your final resting place, Ms. Mason. I'm in charge now._"

"_Disconnect now!_"


	16. Goodbye, Mr Summers

I felt my mind empty as Professor Xavier left me, but Emma just laughed.

"_Oh, it's too late my dear_," she said, her pride evident in her voice. "_I've been here since the beginning; I'm actually the reason you're still alive_."

Alex continued to stare at me as my brow furrowed, searching my face for answers.

"_What do you mean_?" I asked.

"_Stryker wanted to kill you all. 'You mutant filth' he would say_."

"_Then, why didn't he kill you_?"

"_Oh, I'm sure he wanted to. The only reason he didn't was because I said I knew how to get to you. Once he fell into the trap, all I had to was move his mind away from any murderous tendencies until I had you right where I wanted you_."

"_Why didn't you just let him kill me? That is what you want, isn't it_?"

"_But, I want it done my way. Letting him have the honor would ruin the whole concept of revenge_."

My hands curled into fists. "_Then, show yourself and we'll duke it out_."

"_See, I prefer to not get my hands dirty. I'm fine where I am_."

"Rebecca!" Alex shouted at me, finally sick of being in the dark. "What is going on?"

"It's Emma," I revealed. "Emma Frost."

"From the boat with Shaw?"

"_The one and only, sweetheart_."

Alex's eyes grew wide as she addressed him in his mind.

"Did you hear that?" he asked aloud.

"She's connected us all telepathically," I explained. "It's like a giant PA system."

"_You are so smart, Rebecca, I must say_," Emma cooed. "_It's a shame you had to kill Sebastian; it really is. And, by the way Alex, it's a pleasure to finally meet you_."

"_Go screw yourself_."

"_What a gentleman_," she spat. "_But, it's no skin off my nose. It might be some off of yours, though_."

"_What's that supposed to mean_?"

Alex's shoulders tensed so he was now standing at his full height.

"_Goodbye, Mr. Summers_."

Alex's brow furrowed and he searched the room as if a fly had just gone past him.

"She's gone," he said, looking back at me. "She left my head."

Before I could respond, a skull-splitting pain erupted in my own head, and I clutched my forehead. I fell to my knees and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push her away.

"_There's no use in fighting, honey_," Emma said. "_I'm stronger than you; just give in_."

"_No…way_."

"_Fine. Have it your way_."

The pain became worse as she consumed my mind, taking it as her own. I could feel myself being pushed further and further down, slowly losing control of my own thoughts, my own body. When she gained full control, I could see what she was making me do, but I could do nothing to stop her.

The wall separating my cell from Alex's slid up into the ceiling, allowing him to walk up to me. She had made me look up at him, but I hadn't stood up yet.

"Are you ok?" he kneeled down next to me, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"Alex! Go! I'm not me! Run!" I shouted with all my might, but none of the words passed through my lips. Instead, Emma replied for me.

"I'm fine," she said, "It's your girlfriend who you should worry about."

She pushed my hand out and shoved him back with a blast of air, slamming him into the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"_Get away from him_!" I shouted inside my own head.

"_Would you shut up_?" Emma pushed me down further, and my vision began to blur.

I stalked across the room, and grabbed Alex by the throat. I pushed him against the wall, and he began to sputter, it getting harder for him to breathe.

"Get…the hell…out of her," he managed to say.

Emma didn't respond, but put more pressure on his windpipe.

"_No! Stop!_"

With all of my might, I fought against her, working my way back up into the forefront of my mind.

"Oh," Emma said, tilting my head, "She's trying to fight me. How sweet."

It was like fighting against a rip current- no matter how hard you swam against it, the brutal force was overbearing, leaving you stuck. Alex's eyes began to flutter as his lungs struggled to fill, and, with a determined scream, I plowed forward until I was back in control. Emma flew back and out of my head, and I drew my hand away from Alex. He fell from the wall, and gasped for breath.

"What?" he said in between inhales and exhales. "You change your mind?"

"She's gone," I whispered. "It's me."

I fell to my knees next to him, my eyes looking past him.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Are you?"

"I'm fine." He rubbed his now red throat. "How did she do that?"

"I don't know. But, I bet you that won't be the only time it happens."


End file.
